Over €30 million are being pumped into the economy over the next three weeks through the filming of the Brad Pitt movie World War Z.

The figure is considered to be substantial, particularly in relation to shooting days, which amount to around 20, Malta Film Commissioner Peter Busuttil said.

Filming of the zombie movie started on Saturday at Zammit Clapp Hospital, which acted as a military compound. Yesterday, the lower part of Valletta, which has been transformed into streets in Israel, was teeming with activity as crew and cast went about their business and cameras rolled in St Charles Street.

Around 200 vehicles, trucks and trailers, are parked along the ring road, and the production is advising the public to avoid the area near the Land Department, Auberge de Baviere and Fort St Elmo over the next few days because of congestion and the impossibility of finding a space to park.

A catering set-up to feed 800 is located along the seafront below and military vehicles, including Hummers, lined the streets yesterday for road-block scenes. Signs in Hebrew were hanging about what easily slipped into the role of a Jerusalem marketplace.

Filming of World War Z in St Dominic Street and its surroundings is carrying on from tomorrow to Thursday, using the underground houses of Valletta residents, as well as their services for various jobs.

Many locals are being paid for having their doorways in shot and are being compensated for any inconvenience, but they seem to be enjoying the scene. The crew amounts to around 800 – much more than other major movies shot in Malta have seen, according to sources.

About 20 make-up artists are engaged in enhancing the zombies in the prosthetics department, while extras days over the three weeks of shooting amount to 5,500.

Filming involves two helicopters and a cable-suspended camera is running from a Floriana church right down to the Valletta waterfront area.